Wolves 5, Heat 2: Productive return for Mark Mancari

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Tim Miller (14) of the Wolves battles with the Abbotsford Heat's Jordan Henry (5) during the Wolves' 5-2 victory on Thursday night (Dec. 22, 2011) at Allstate Arena. | Steve Woltmann~Chicago Wolves

Updated: December 24, 2011 1:30AM

The Wolves rarely would find Mark Mancari eager to get home after a road trip.

Only one of Mancari’s team-leading 10 goals had come on home ice heading into the game on Thursday night with the Abbotsford Heat at Allstate Arena.

But after his performance against the Heat, right winter Mancari might have a newfound affinity for his hockey home. He ended up making the difference, scoring the team’s first two goals and assisting on the third,as the Wolves took a 5-2 victory.

The Wolves have won five of their last six games. The Heat hadn’t lost in regulation since Nov. 29. Fresh off a three-game stint with Vancouver, Mancari was reassigned by the Canucks to the Wolves on Thursday and arrived in Chicago in time to play.

“You always want to get up there and stay but I knew the circumstances going and when you come back you can’t play upset,” Mancari said. “You have to play like you want to get back up there and that’s something I’ve learned over the last few years.”

Every time the Heat scored, Mancari had an answer. His first goal came at 13:39 of the first period and evened the score at 1. The second came at 4:09 in the second period, knotting it at 2.

Mancari assisted on the go-ahead goal, a power-play score by Jordan Schroeder at 10:46 of the second period.

In the Wolves’ latest five victories, they have allowed seven goals. It’s a streak that has come mostly with goalie Matt Climie, who splits time in net with Eddie Lack, sitting with an injury.

Lack had 29 saves and rebounded to hold the Heat scoreless after it scored two first-period power-play goals.

“Matt’s injury may have been good timing for Eddie,” Wolves coach Craig MacTavish said. “Matt was playing so well, so Matt gets a bit of a break. It allows Eddie the comfort level to know that he’s going to continue to get the net and that reduces the amount of pressure [so] he just goes out and plays.”